1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to adjustable head restraint systems for automotive vehicle seats.
2. Discussion
Automotive vehicle seats may include adjustable head restraint systems. U.S. Patent Publication 2007/0158990 to Hermansson et al. discloses one such adjustable head restraint system. Hermansson et al. provides a head restraint that includes a support for supporting the head restraint and fixing the head restraint to a backrest of a vehicle seat. The support includes a carrier and at least one support leg coupled to the carrier, together with an adjusting arrangement for adjusting the position of the head restraint in relation to an occupant of the motor vehicle. The carrier is enclosed by a casing, which is rotatably connected to the support along an axis of rotation running at right angles to the support leg. The adjusting arrangement includes a locking plate and an operating element acting upon the locking plate. The operating element is designed to carry the locking plate in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation. The locking plate has one locking tongue designed to interact with an adjusting arm firmly connected to the casing. The locking plate also has locking elements defining at least two separate locking positions on the adjusting arm, and one locking tongue designed to interact with locking elements arranged on the support leg, defining at least two separate locking positions on the support leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,395 to Yetukuri et al. discloses another adjustable head restraint system. Yetukuri et al. provides a head restraint assembly that permits four-way adjustment and has dual positive stops as well as a single control. The head restraint assembly includes a frame and a housing that engages a portion of the frame. The assembly further includes a cam assembly disposed within the housing to provide fore/aft adjustment of the housing relative to the frame. The cam assembly includes a camshaft and at least two drum assemblies supported by the camshaft. The cam assembly further includes a contact plate extending parallel to the camshaft to releasably engage the drum assemblies. The camshaft is connected to the contact plate to provide releasable engagement between the contact plate and the drum assemblies. The assembly further includes a control member to engage the cam assembly and provide for fore/aft and vertical adjustment in response to user input.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,415 to Tanino et al. discloses yet another adjustable head restraint system. Tanino et al. provides a device for adjusting the elevational position of a head rest of a seat for a vehicle. The device has a stay formed with a plurality of grooves along an elevational direction and is stood on a seat back of the seat. A locking mechanism is mounted in the shell of the head rest for engaging or disengaging the grooves of the stay by means of the lateral movements of the head rest. The stay has right and left vertical rods integrally coupled at the upper portions thereof with the stay, a bracket member provided in the shell and coupled with the two vertical rods of the stay through two cylindrical supporting members inserted therethrough with the two vertical rods of the stay, and a rod penetrated laterally through the shell and the bracket member to be secured to the shell but movably engaged with the bracket member in such a manner that the shell is urged to either leftward or rightward with respect to the bracket member with a gap formed at one side thereof. The grooves are formed on at least one vertical rod of the stay. A locking plate is formed in the vicinity of the bracket member and coupled with the rod. The locking plate engages any of the grooves of the vertical rod of the stay by means of urging. The engaging distance of the locking plate with the groove is equal to or substantially smaller than the gap formed at one side thereof.